Reddit doesn't undestand it, so it imitates it because it thinks other people like it that way, and the cycle repeats itself. Look at /r/adviceanimals and you'll see nothing but highschoolers making da memes xD

Watching some subreddits try and make memes (particularly in the memes infancy) is like watching a learning computer program try and make a meme based on elements seen previously, until it homogenizes in to posting almost exact copies.

exact copies!? Are you kidding me? Reddit takes it too far, it takes something simple and adds to it, ruining it, turning it not into a joke itself but a way to tell jokes (hoping that because it's in the le meme form, it gets upvoted more). For instance le joke eel meme, nothing but a picture of an eel with a le joke. 4chan didn't have 98% of the le memes you see on le adviceanimals. And look at ragecomics with the new le faces. It's stupid as fuck